Gall bladder removal problems 10 years on!!
Posted , 13 users are following.
Hi been on this before but i had to add this in to see if anyone knows what to make of it. I had my gall bladder removed 10 years ago through keyhole surgery. Since then i have had ongoing pain which has worsened over the years to the point of me crying most days. I have had every test ultrasound, xray, camera tests you name it and all showed normal. After speaking to someone on here they asked if the docs had ever consideres sphyncter oddi disfunctional. I took it to the docs and he sent me back to the surgical doctor. When i visited him he said that the bloods i had taken 5MONTHSAGO!!! showed that my liver functions were elevated and that he is ordering an MRI of my liver. The pain is under both rib cages sometimes only one side sometimes both and i get maybe 1-2 days respite from it per month. I feel like i am being passed off again. Does anyone know if this could be the cause? If it is the cause why have they not did anything about it before 5 months passed by? At the moment i am taking amytryptiline at night so i get some sleep and ive to remain off antacids and anything like that. The only other painkiller i can take is paacetamol as everything else aggravates the condition, I feel absolutely helpless and at the end of my rope. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
1 like, 8 replies
bloodblonde94 lee0208
Posted
lee0208 bloodblonde94
Posted
bloodblonde94 lee0208
Posted
I have never heard of sphyncter oddi, so I'm not much help on that issue. Did you ever get the MRI of the liver? If your liver functions are elevated that would make me think this is some kind of issue that came from surgery or an infection, maybe? I would go to the doctor and demand they do something! I'm on the same boat, doctors don't care, they just want your money. I've been to about 10 doctors trying to find one who might actually help me! It really takes a long time to try and find a smart doctor who will help you and not just throw medicine at you! I really hope you feel better!
Gallbladder and stomach issues are so terrible!!!
cheeky87 lee0208
Posted
People who have had their gall bladders removed are most likely to develop sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. The procedure by which the gall bladder is removed is called cholecystectomy, and some doctors refer to sphincter of Oddi dysfunction as post-cholecystectomy syndrome. Middle-aged women also appear to be at increased risk for the condition, although doctors aren’t sure why.
What are the symptoms of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction?
Abdominal pain is the most common symptom; less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, and diarrhea. These symptoms can come and go, and can be mild one time and severe the next.
How is sphincter of Oddi dysfunction diagnosed?
When sphincter of Oddi dysfunction is suspected, your doctor will first check to see if the abdominal pain is caused by another condition. It is important to make sure patients with abdominal pain don’t have serious conditions such as cancer of the pancreas or bile ducts, peptic ulcer disease, or stones in the ducts that carry the bile from the liver. In some cases, even heart conditions such as angina or ischemia can cause pain that seems to be coming from the abdomen.
Your doctor may want to take a close look at the sphincter of Oddi to see if it is functioning normally. This is done by placing a small plastic tube into the pancreas duct or bile duct near the sphincter of Oddi to measure how well it is contracting and expanding. Patients are placed under sedation for this procedure, which is called sphincter of Oddi manometry.
What is the treatment for sphincter of Oddi?
In patients where the pain is not too severe, especially in hard-to-diagnose category III patients, medical treatment is usually the first course of action. Some patients can get relief by using pain medications or drugs that prevent the sphincter of Oddi from having spasms.
When the pain is severe, and tests have clearly identified the pain as being caused by sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, your doctor may refer you for a surgical procedure called sphincterotomy. You’ll either be sedated or put to sleep under anesthesia for this procedure. A surgeon will pass a thin instrument into the area of the small intestine where the sphincter of Oddi is located and cut the muscle.
During this procedure, the surgeon will also make sure that there aren’t any stones in the gall bladder (if it hasn’t already been removed) or in the bile ducts.
In most cases, sphincterotomy can achieve good relief of the pain and other symptoms of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. However, this procedure is usually tried only after medical treatment has failed. Sphincterotomy is a difficult procedure that has a fairly high risk of complications. About 5% to 15% of patients experience complications such as mild inflammation of the pancreas, but in some cases the complications are severe and can require a long stay in the hospital.
rick1960 lee0208
Posted
I have ibs and gallbladder taken out made it worse i have to be very careful what I eat no spicy foods no greasy foods no salt and no caffeine sometimes i drink rice milk ,you have to change your diet especially if you have ibs i eat while rice no salt veggies turkey breast skinless and chicken breast skinless.
faye99760 lee0208
Posted
hi ,i had my gallbladder removed 3 years ago and just recently started having the upper back pain i had before surgery ,
i had a cyst on my gallbladder no stones ,
anyone else getting the pain in the back
FlyBoy19 lee0208
Posted
lee208,
I hear your frustration. I had my gall bladder removed 4.5 years ago. I t was removed because the HIDA scan revealed it functioning at about 12%, I was experiencing severe abdominal pain. My Gall Bladder was removed. I felt pretty good right away but that lasted for a short time. Over the years I have experienced increased abdominal pain and back pain primarily on my right flank. For the past 3 years sleep has been a struggle and abdomen pain and back pain from shoulder to mid back has increased. I have had MRI's and CT scans of abdomen, back done a couple of times. I have had 3 or 4 EGD's, Lots of chiropractic and Physical Therapy. A very frustrating last 3 years. I have gotten three different opinions from different GASTRO docs. They all say abdomen issue has nothing to do with back. They say I have IBS and muscular skeletal issues with my back. The right side mid back pain is fairly constant feels like where my gallbladder once was. When I mention biliary concerns my Doc says my blood work does not indicate that. My blood work is always normal. Pretty frustrating. Any body experience any of this?
I have tried to increase physical activity but this has helped. Any suggestions on dietary suggestions? Thanks Buzz
janet94391 FlyBoy19
Posted
i had my gallbladder out 18months ago in the last 4 months I've had constant pain in that area I've had every test under the sun done all come back normal , sometimes its a niggling pain and another its painful no one knows what it is just told to get on with it as one Dr said its like losing a leg the pain may still be there , no one listened no one wants to know , I'm in the UK and it's shocking , I just don't know what to do I've now been put on lansoprazole 30mg it helps but doesn't take the pain away , to sleep I have to take pain medication or I would be crawling up the wall .